Fat burning advice required...keeping the muscle!

breezedaze

Losing the fat is the final step!

I need to lose approximately 20lbs.

I've built an incredible amount of muscle...around 20lbs worth and inch wise I'm way down.

I do not want to lose muscle.

But I want to accelerate the fat loss!

What I am doing...1200 cals per day. eating my exercise cals most of the time.

Avoiding alchohol

Taking an all natural fat burner

That's it....

Anything else? I'm thinking of making my green smoothies with green tea instead of water

Oh..I take coconut oil each day!

katevarner

Probably need to eat more unless your BMR is really low. It's almost impossible to lose just fat. Keep up the heavy lifting, don't overdo the cardio, eat as much as you can while still leaving yourself about a 500 calorie deficit.

Check out this calculator: http://www.1percentedge.com/ifcalc/

Good luck!

breezedaze

Thank you! Yes and I'll sacrifice a bit of muscle to lose the fat. Eat more I have tried..doesn't work..goes straight to the belly.

and I know I can't eat less!

wellbert

20lbs of muscle? How many years did that take?

Some people use PSMF. I've tried it, it sucks. But it works really well.

romach79

1200 cals per day seems a bit light. FWIW, I would (depending on your weight) add a few calories and reduce your carb intake. Carbs are what put the weight on. Add more protein to your daily routine rather than reduce calories. Reducing calories too much (in my experience) tends to push your body to starvation reflex and it reduces your metabolism so when you get off the diet plan, the weight comes back.

dad106

So, how'd you gain muscle if you can't eat more? Since building new muscle tissue involves a surplus of calories.

I'd lift, eat at a small deficit(like 250-500 calories) and do some cardio.

breezedaze

That calculates a schedule to GAIN...and wow..it's wonderful...but how do I calculate a schedule to lose?

Alderaic

if you want to lose some fat while keeping the muscles, try to avoid all fast carbs and stick on slow ones like legumes etc... avoid dairy or anything that a diabetic would not eat.

Tim Ferriss has a program called slow carb diet that works well for that. though It is personnaly not something that I can sustain for a long amount of time

breezedaze

I did eat more..when I gained the muscle...I had a body composition test done when I started a year ago....I had one done a couple of weeks ago...I don't have the paper in hand but I had lost 60lbs in total fat loss but gained 20lbs in muscle.

Now I want to lose the remaining fat. MFP calculates me at 1200 which I too think is too little.

I'm going to get that paper from the gym and try to get a calculator to help me out.

Also. I'm 5ft 6, size 8 and 198lbs. Check out my pictures. I'm a freak of nature.

Carolyn

TavistockToad

i have lost all the 'weight' i want to lose, and now am working on reducing my BF%. you only need a very small deficit so that you arent losing muscle as well - i am netting 1600 and over the last 30ish days i have lost inches - i can tell this by how my clothes fit.

you can eat more, when you say it 'goes straight to your belly' that is probably just the result of the extra food, if you give it a couple of weeks it will go again.

wellbert

20lbs of muscle in a year? What's your secret?

dad106

I did eat more..when I gained the muscle...I had a body composition test done when I started a year ago....I had one done a couple of weeks ago...I don't have the paper in hand but I had lost 60lbs in total fat loss but gained 20lbs in muscle.

Now I want to lose the remaining fat. MFP calculates me at 1200 which I too think is too little.

I'm going to get that paper from the gym and try to get a calculator to help me out.

Also. I'm 5ft 6, size 8 and 198lbs. Check out my pictures. I'm a freak of nature.

Carolyn

If you think 1200 is too little, then eat more.. You can manually set goals.

The most you should be trying to lose is a pound to a half a pound a week...which is a deficit of 250-500 calories.

breezedaze

Secret? I work out with a lot of people and that's quite common. I've known people to gain much more than that but I have always gained muscle fairly easily also. I don't know. I did what I was told by my trainer and then later I researched and talked to other trainers who gave me tips. I do work out 6 times a week and I also did Insanity which gave me huge gains in muscle.

Tavistock Toad..that is what I'm doing...and I live in Tavistock, ON coincidentally.

And going straight to my belly in the form of belly fat. That's what I mean.

Not a protruding belly from the meal.
Yes. Carbs. I struggle with that as I'm vegetarian and often carbs accompany the vegetarian meal I consume.

So to cut out carbs...flour, pasta, rice, potatoes, corn...that'll do it? I eat a lot of veggies and beans and need to keep those.

Dave198lbs

Secret? and I also did Insanity which gave me huge gains in muscle.

doing cardio in a deficit will not give you a 20 pound gain in muscle

you seem to be starting from a false premise

I would get another body fat test and start over

breezedaze

Actually..there was no deficit while I did Insanity...I ate every single calorie I burned.

breezedaze

I gained the muscle over a year as I said above..but while I did Insanity I made HUGE gains. I can see, feel muscle that wasn't there before. I ate every single calorie I burned and didn't do a deficit at that point. So no I'm not going to pay for another body composition test. I'm quite confident that it's accurate from the difference in my appearance in a year, the muscles I see and my before and after photos that it's very accurate. My goal now is not to gain muscle..it's to lose fat.

Secret? and I also did Insanity which gave me huge gains in muscle.

doing cardio in a deficit will not give you a 20 pound gain in muscle

you seem to be starting from a false premise

I would get another body fat test and start over

FullOfWin

A normal woman will not gain 20 lbs of muscle in 3 years or probably ever without chemical assistance and especially not without a calorie surplus or from doing Insanity. Probably almost all water, nutrient, and fat gain.

breezedaze

A normal woman will not gain 20 lbs of muscle in 3 years or probably ever without chemical assistance and especially not without a calorie surplus or from doing Insanity. Probably almost all water, nutrient, and fat gain.

Totally wrong. And I would NEVER use drugs. Rarely drink alcohol. Who says I'm normal?


at 5.6 and 198lbs and a comfortable size 8...nope not normal but fact.

breezedaze

also grew an inch!

breezedaze

And none of that is helping me lose fat! Anyway thanks to those who offered advice. I love that site with the graph/calculator!

I'm on a new mission...to reveal the muscle

Dave198lbs

also grew an inch!

your posture may have improved making it look like you grew an inch. Otherwise you may be a bit delusional

nexangelus

20lbs of lean gain for a woman with normal testosterone levels in one year does not compute somehow (I am not sure a man can even gain this much in 12 months, cannot remember the stats, etc on this). Also if your protein ratios are not high enough, then lean gains also do not compute. For each lean mass lb you need a gramme of protein per day to allow for growth and maintenance of lean mass. Not saying you are fibbing (lying) I think your calcs for body fat % and lean mass may be incorrect.

p.s. strength training builds lean mass (lifting heavy), not cardio, which insanity seems to be, not sure as I have never done it.

almc170

I'll just leave this here: http://www.bodyrecomposition.com/fat-loss/you-are-not-different.html

TavistockToad

if you're 5ft6 and 198lbs, and you have MFP set to lose half a pound, how can it be giving you 1200 cals to eat?

breezedaze

You know..I won't argue..it is possible the first calculations were wrong..however...I am significantly smaller...and not that much lighter..and have great muscles...and I'm cool with that.


And who knows what my testosterone levels are anyway?

It is giving me 1250 calories. I do not know why Tavistock Toad.

breezedaze

I'll just leave this here: http://www.bodyrecomposition.com/fat-loss/you-are-not-different.html

Yeah..I've read that before. I agree with it.

I've been sitting at around 1400 to 2000 calories for a year.

I've gotten smaller. But I haven't weighed since January. I've lost fat. I know how much was there as opposed to what's there now. I've gained muscle. I can see it.

I personally think you can't lose weight of any kind without a deficit.

Fact remains..I can go into any store and put on a size 8 pants.

And I weigh 198lbs and I'm 5ft 6.

And most 5ft 6 woman at 198lbs cannnot.

So something is different. I personally don't care who believes what. I'm just trying to lose 2

breezedaze

ooops..got cut off...just trying to lose 20lbs of fat..which I believe is the last of it. So then I'll be 178lbs and size what? Will be interesting..of course the MINUTE it's gone I'll be back to building muscle again. I like muscle. Plus then I get to eat.

bcf7683

20lbs of muscle? How many years did that take?

Exactly what I was thinking... It's taken me nearly a year to get 4-5ish lbs.

breezedaze

I haven't weighed since January...until I had the composition done on Saturday...before somebody jumps on that!

almc170

I'll just leave this here: http://www.bodyrecomposition.com/fat-loss/you-are-not-different.html

Yeah..I've read that before. I agree with it.

I've been sitting at around 1400 to 2000 calories for a year.

I've gotten smaller. But I haven't weighed since January. I've lost fat. I know how much was there as opposed to what's there now. I've gained muscle. I can see it.

I personally think you can't lose weight of any kind without a deficit.

Fact remains..I can go into any store and put on a size 8 pants.

And I weigh 198lbs and I'm 5ft 6.

And most 5ft 6 woman at 198lbs cannnot.

So something is different. I personally don't care who believes what. I'm just trying to lose 2

I think there may be an issue with semantics at play here. As you lose body fat, your muscle definition becomes more visible and you can fit into smaller clothing. You can make strength gains and see an increase in size due to neuromuscular adaptations. None of these things, however, equate to creating new muscle tissue.

For example, I've been lifting heavy weights since March. Part of that time, I was eating at maintenance. I've gone from a size 14 to a size 8, so I've lost a fair bit of body fat. I've gained maybe 2lbs of muscle at best, and that's only because I started as a rank beginner. Sure my body composition has changed, but that's due more to fat loss than muscle gain. To really gain appreciable muscle mass, I'd have to eat like a teenage boy, hit the weights hard, and possibly take some "supplements."

ETA: And to answer your original question about losing fat and keeping muscle...slight deficit, weights, adequate protein, perhaps a bit of cardio, and considerable patience

aproc

Don't eat too low of a deficit and continue to lift heavy. If your creating too much of a deficit then you will lose more muscle. I'd say figure out your maintenance calories and subtract around 250-500. 20lbs of muscle is pretty impossible in a year for anybody especially with just 2000 calories since thats probably not much above maintenance if it is, but I don't doubt you have a good bit of muscle to show for your work. 1200 is not going to cut it though. You'll be sacrificing the precious muscle which you worked so hard for.. Aim for a slow loss and just have patience.